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Special Ops Takes Over Bush's Secret War
Thursday, September 19, 2002
From Various Agencies

A Bush Administration official said the Special Operations Command would be expected to focus its limited manpower on "high value" leadership targets, while the US Central Command -- which oversees the war in Afghanistan - would continue mop-up operations against al Qaeda forces there.

WASHINGTON -- NZH
The Pentagon plans to put the Special Operations Command in charge of most United States anti-terrorist actions in a shift towards a more covert war against al Qaeda, the Washington Post reported yesterday.

The command includes special forces troops as well as clandestine counter-terrorism units that can conduct snatch or kill missions, among them Navy Seals and the Army's Delta Force.

Citing US Government sources, the newspaper said the move was a response to Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's demand for more aggressive steps to capture or kill al Qaeda fighters, many of whom have fled since the US military campaign in Afghanistan began last year.

Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, is blamed for a series of actions against US targets around the world, including the September 11 attacks last year.
(More: The New Zealand Herald News Source)
2002 © The New Zealand Herald.

Dan